Music+Legend

Learners
The game is designed for players of all ages who have a desire to learn how to read music in a fun and entertaining way. Songs of all difficulties in terms of rhythm and depth of scale are available, therefore a player can choose based what fits their level.

Context of Use
The game can be used anywhere there is a computer with internet access – this can be at home, at school or in a training facility. In a group setting headphones are recommended so sound elements in a player’s game will not confuse their neighbor. The game is designed to be played as many times as desired. Before a game, players can pick from a list of songs and afterwards they will receive a score. The game is intended to be informal and played anywhere, although an instructor of a music course may include the game in a music reading lesson. It can be used in a one-computer classroom by a group, but observers will not get the full benefit of the learning experience in this case. A single game should last about 5-10 minutes. High scores will be posted to a central database, so players are motivated to replay the game to compete for the highest scores. The game is intended for computers only, because keyboards are important for the multiple inputs required during gameplay.

Scope
The game will be very large in scope since it will be available online. Players can jump in at any time and play however long they desire. Players can choose either to learn piano or guitar.

Object of the Game
The object of the game is to accurately play the notes to the music to obtain the highest score possible. These scores will be input into a central database online so they can see how they compare with other players.

Competing Products
Guitar Hero and Piano/Guitar Wizard are competing products to this game. The advantage to this game is that it actually teaches music in a simple way as opposed to Guitar Hero where players just strike colors to rhythms. Piano/Guitar Wizard is a very comprehensive offering and the complexity and cost may turn off customers. This game finds a good middle ground and is also very accessible, since no special equipment is needed other than a computer.

Design Details
This is the heart of the document. It will serve as a blueprint for those who actually develop the game. The more specific you can be here, the less backtracking and expensive confusion there will be later. // Universal Elements // Describe and provide illustrations of the overall look and feel of the game. What style of graphics and sounds will be used? Cartoonish? Photorealistic? Wacky? Business-like? Colorful? Muted? // Specific Elements // The specifics from this point on will vary depending on the format of game that you're using. For adventure games, provide: For branching stories, provide: For quiz games, provide: For arcade games, provide: For simulations, provide: // Technical Elements // Describe the:
 * an overall map of the simulated world, showing its boundaries and major features
 * a description of the role the learner is playing while moving through the world
 * a description of the overall game goal the learner is trying to achieve
 * a flowchart showing all possible rooms and allowable moves
 * a decription of the obstacles that will challenge the learner
 * a list of all prizes or artifacts and their locations
 * profiles of all non-player characters
 * a description of the scoring system, if any
 * a sequence of sample screens showing how one moves and acts on the game
 * a flowchart of all major branches in the game
 * a description of the events within each of the major branches including the entry decision that starts the branch
 * sample screens showing a sequence of the story
 * a character dictionary describing the appearance, background, motivation, and other characteristics of everyone who appears in the story
 * a description of the categorization scheme used for questions
 * sample questions within each category showing questions at each level of difficulty
 * sample screens showing the sequence of question asking, learner input, and feedback
 * sample screens showing introductory material, high score pages, etc.
 * a description of the scoring system to be used
 * a description of the categorization scheme used for sprites moving on the screen
 * sample images within each category showing sprites at each level of difficulty
 * sample screens showing the sequence of animation, learner input, and consequences
 * sample screens showing introductory material, high score pages, etc.
 * a description of all user-manipulable variables in the game
 * a description of all output variables displayed
 * a description of the initial or default state of all variables
 * sample screens showing a sequence of situation, learner input, and result
 * sample screens showing introductory material, high score pages, etc.
 * a description of the mathematical and logical relationships that link the input variables and output variables (i.e., the underlying model of the simulation).
 * specific software needed to author the game
 * platform(s) the game would be developed for
 * file formats of graphics and sounds
 * method to accommodate multiple platforms (if that's being done)
 * data structures for any files used to save the game state

Motivational Issues
Describe how the game engages the learner. How does it make use of curiosity, challenge, control, fantasy, competition, cooperation, etc.? (No one game will do all of these things, so focus on the particular strengths of this particular game.) Make specific reference to the theoretical readings associated with this course.

Design Process
Describe the process you went through in putting the game together. What were your first thoughts? How did you enhance your ideas? What ideas did you consider and reject (and why?). How did you gather background information? What did you do to see if there are similar games out there? What did you do to get feedback on the idea? How did you flesh out the game to the point of having a playable prototype? How did you gather feedback from that? What lessons did you learn from this that you'll carry to your next game design project?